Month: March 2020
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The Price of Our Healing
Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent I did mistakenly refer to the first reading as from Exodus. It’s from Numbers. For the people of Israel wandering in the wilderness, believing that their suffering was punishment for their complaining made sense. And they did complain a lot. But no. God sent Jesus to heal our […]
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A Convincing Argument Vs. A Life of Conviction
Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent “I can’t defend it. But I know it’s true. And I believe it with all my heart.” Convictions are not always easy to articulate or defend. Their foundation is less human logic than an unshakeable faith in someone who has proven to be worthy of that trust. Jeremiah […]
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The Obstacle is Us
Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent What prevented Jesus’ opponents from embracing the reality of his person and his mission was their own pride, and their self-assurance that he couldn’t tell them anything they didn’t already know. He may have been from Nazareth. He may have lived in Galilee. But he is from the […]
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God’s Meltdown
Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent God invites us to put our faith in Jesus. It may be easier for some people, but not for everyone. The skeptic and the agnostic will always demand proof. And we were all skeptics and agnostics at some point along the journey. But since faith is both God’s […]
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God Had To Ask … and Still Does
Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord Gospel Reading: Homily: Those who hold any kind of earthly power or influence take pride in telling others what’s what and how things are going down. They don’t ask permission for anything from anyone. As pastor, sometimes I do need to make some executive decisions in spite of […]
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Pothole at 12 O’Clock
Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent Do we truly desire the healing of our spiritual weakness and our bad habits? God does. And God wants to provide for our needs but requires our cooperation with his grace. If we claim to truly desire that this dreaded coronavirus be eliminated, why do we still continue […]
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Vision Beyond Eyes
Fourth Sunday of Lent Gospel reading: Homily: As much as I enjoy the kind of interaction with others that I have always considered normative, with visual and auditory cues, facial expressions, banter, and even physical touch, this imposed solitude we are all experiencing now has given me opportunity to better appreciate that distinct blessing I […]
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Your Inner Pharisee is Showing
Saturday of the Third Week of Lent No need to admit it out loud, but we all have some Pharisee-like tendencies. Just keep our eyes trained on Jesus, not on our neighbor, not even on the best of neighbors. There is always opportunity for a course correction, but only when I recognize my course needs […]
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The Greatest Commandment & Social Distancing
Friday of the Third Week of Lent Putting that Greatest Commandment into practice now requires more creativity and intentionality. It wasn’t always easy before these restrictions to social interaction were imposed on us. But if it truly is a priority for those who claim to be disciples of Jesus Christ, it will show in our […]
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